And what you need for a successful application is very different from the US (you should read up on personal statements). According to the director of admissions at Oxford:
“It really doesn’t matter if you haven’t got any friends or hobbies or if you don’t do any charitable work …[Acceptance] is a purely academic judgement.”
He said universities were only interested in “enthused, engaged and excellent” candidates, rather than “second-rate historians who happen to play the flute”.